With districts fully integrated with remote learning, will Michigan schools declare a snowy day?

DETROIT – With Tuesday’s bad weather approaching, a unique dilemma is forming for parents and students.

We are talking about a snowy day. With districts fully integrated with remote learning, will districts declare a snowy day? As of Monday afternoon, that answer was not yet clear.

There are many things that educators need to face in order to educate children during a pandemic.

This includes remote learning, face-to-face learning, hybrid learning, parents, teachers, students and now the question of snowy days.

Related: Detroit Metropolitan School Closures: Check List

“Will the children be able to get there? We just need a day to take a break, ”said Heidi Hedquist of the Pontiac School District.

In Michigan, it’s a foregone conclusion that you’re likely to have snowy days. In fact, the state allows up to six days of snow when the weather makes it dangerous or unreal to take children to school.

Ads

With remote learning, we now know that children can be educated whether there is a foot of snow on the ground and counting or on a clear, cold and sunny day.

So, why do we need snowy days? It is an issue that educators have been debating particularly with the measurable loss of learning in the last 10 months of education during a pandemic.

Reyonna Orr has three children in the school district of L’Anse Creuse.

“Snowy days are important. Everyone deserves a day off, ”said Orr, adding that the pandemic has been especially stressful for students.

Her two children are having a face-to-face apprenticeship and her daughter is at school four days a week for a hybrid learning model.

“We all need mental health to fight the snow … Give us a day off,” she said.

Weather forecast: 6 to 10 inches of snow tonight

Ads